Two-part shoe welting and method of making the same



Dem 1959 F. L. SHEA 2,916,834

' TWO-PART SHOE WELTING AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Nov. 14, 1956 j llll INVEN TOR.

ATTGRNE Y United States Patcfif i TWO-PART srron WELTING AND METHOD or MAKING THE SAME Francis L. Shea, Wollaston, Mass, assignor to Barbour Welting Company, Brockton, Mass., a. corporation of Massachusetts This invention relates to a shoe welting and method of making thesame.

The invention has for an object to provide a novel-and improved construction of shoe welting of the type having a thick welt extension and a relatively thin inseam flange.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved shoe welting of a construction such that when incorporated in a shoe, the welt is disposed in an inseaming position low enough to allow the inseam lip to be trimmed much lower than usual, and which also carries the inseam stitch under the shoe so that it is almost impossible to cut the inseam stitch when the sole is Goodyear stitched to the shoe.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel method of making the same in an economical and efficient manner.

With these general objects in view and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the novel shoe welting and method of making the same hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the present invention:

Figs. 1 through 5 are perspective views illustrating the steps of cutting and forming the present two-part welting; and

Fig. 6 isa perspective view partially in section illustrating the welting formed in accordance with the steps illustrated in Figs. 1 through 5 secured to the upper of a shoe.

In general the present invention contemplates a novel and improved shoe welting and method of making the same preferably from a unitary grain leather fillet. Preferably the invention contemplates a two-part shoe welting, with the parts superimposed one on the other and secured together, and each part of a construction such as to impart to the finished welting a so-called heavy edge appearance. The present welting is characterized by structure which enables the inseam lip to be trimmed much lower and the welting to be secured to the shoe so that the inseam stitch is positioned under the shoe upper and cannot be severed when the outsole is Goodyear stitched to the shoe and results in a structure wherein the welt is caused to hug the upper in a tight and firm manner. The invention enables a shoe welting to be manufactured in a manner which results in a substantial saving in leather over the amount required to construct prior similar welting of which I am aware.

Referring now to the drawings illustrating the present invention, 10 represents a grain leather fillet having a grain surface 12 and a flesh surface 14. The first step in the formation of the present novel shoe welting consists in making an incision 15 in the grain surface 12 along a line parallel to and spaced inwardly a short distance from the marginal edge 16 as shown in Fig. 2. The incisiou is extended downwardly a short distance parallel 2,916,834 Patented Dec. 15, 1959 2 to said edge 16 to a point 18 and then is extended downwardly at an inclined angle toward the flesh surface 14 and the marginal edge 20' to a point 22 and then outwardly parallel to the flesh surface 14 to a point 23 spaced inwardly a short distance from the marginal edge- 20. The incision is then turned at an angle of 90 and extended downwardly parallel to themarginal edge 20 to and through the flesh surface 14 as shown. As illustrated in Fig. 2, this step in the present method results in the formation of upper and lower parts 24, 26. Upper part 24 is provided with a relatively thick welt extension portion 28 and a relatively thin laterally extending inseam flange portion 30. The free end 32 of flange 30 is preferably squared as shown. The lower part 26 is provided with a relatively thick welt extension portion 34 and a thin lip portion 36. As illustrated, lip portion 36 is preferably thinner and shorter than flange portion 30, thereby enabling the upper and lower portions to be molded into the shape shown in Fig. 5. Asshown in Fig. 4, the lower part 26 is provided with a sharply defined shoulder38 and an inclined or taperedshoulder 40 intermediate the welt extension portion 34 and the lip portion 36.

The next step in the formation of the present welting consists in placing the lower part 26 in an inverted'position such that the flesh surface 14 is on top and the. grain surface 12 forms the bottom surface. The uppermost flesh surface of the lower part 26 may and pref erably will be coated with a suitable adhesive or cement of any usual or preferred composition, preferably the type now utilized in the production of shoe welting, in order to bond the upper and lower parts together, as will be hereinafter more fully described. I

As illustrated in Fig. 5, the upper part 24 is superimposed upon the cement coated surface 14 of the lower part 26 in a position in which the welt extension portion 28 overlies and is in alignment with the welt extension portion 34. The inseam flange 30 overlies and is in alignment with the lip portion 36. In this manner the present welting is formed providing a thick two-part welt extension 37 and a relatively thinner inseam flange 39. As shown in Fig. 5, the inseam flange forms with the welt extension a relatively high arched portion 42 intermediate flange 39 and extension 37. The upper grain surface of the inseam flange is gradually tapered in an are from the welt extension'downWar-dly as shown. In practice the present cemented two-part welt may and preferably will be subjected to the usual molding operations to thereby shape and securely bond the upper and lower parts 24, 26 into a unitary welt structure of the form shown in Fig. 5.

After the upper and lower components 24, 26 o the present welt have been individually formed in accordance with the procedures above described they are. individually molded into the general shapes shown ire Figs. 3 and 4 ready to be assembled and subjected to the, final molding and cementing operation, producing a static. ture such as is illustrated in Fig. 5 wherein the upper sur-. face of the welt extension is substantially flat and where-c in the inseam flange is curved downwardly in an arc. from the adjacent margin of the flat surface of the welt extension terminating substantially in the plane of the bottom surface of the extension. The bottom surface. of the inseam flange 39 is arched upwardly as at 42. The cement bonding the upper and lower components: of the welt together is indicated at 43 in Fig. 6.

said flange to be urged against the upper of the 811%:

When the welting is secured thereto as illustrated in Fig. 6.

In practice the present two-part welting structure formed in accordance with the present invention is particularly adapted to be incorporated in a shoe so that the inseam lips of the welting, upper and insole may be trimmed much closer than heretofore found possible, providing a tight seam between the welting and upper of the shoe. The inseam stitching is carried under the shoe so that when the outsole is Goodyear stitched to the shoe such stitching will not sever the inseam stitching. This difiiculty has been found to be prevalent in prior similar welts of which I am aware, and in some instances hastresulted in the detachment of the outsole from the shoe.

Referring to Fig. 6, the construction and shape of the present welting enables it to be secured to the marginal edge 64 of the upper 66 of the shoe by the inseam stitching 68 in a position to dispose the upper grain surface 12 of the welt extension 37 further under the curve of the upper than is the case with ordinary welting of this type and slightly below the general plane of the upper surface of the insole 70 of the shoe. The inseam flange 39 is firmly compressed against the marginal edge 64 of the upper 66 and is disposed under the margin of the insole 70 as shown. The welting is secured in such position by inseam stitching 68 extending through the upper 66 and insole feather 74. The marginal portion of the inseam flange 39, upper 66 and insole lips 75 is then trimmed as low as possible. This particular structure of shoe welting eliminates the necessity of providing a thick filler between the insole and outsole of the shoe. The outsole 76 is thereafter secured to the shoe by Goodyear stitching 78, and it will be observed that the Goodyear stitching passes at a slight angle through the welt extension outside of the inseam stitching, thus clearing the inseam stitching so that liability of severing the same, as has frequently occurred with prior weltings, may be avoided. As shown, the outsole stitching 78 draws the inseam flange 39 and welt extension .37 toward one another, thereby substantially filling arched portion 42 4 and causing the inseam flange 39 to be urged firmly against the marginal edge of the upper of the shoe.

It may be observed that the present construction enables the welt to be inseamed at a lower position and results in a construction of shoe in which the joint between the welt and upper is extremely tight. In addition, the present invention enables savings to be effected in the width of leather fillets required to be used in producing the present welting.

While it is preferred to produce the present welting from a leather fillet, as described, it will be understood that other materials may be used, and the finished welting may be extruded or otherwise formed of'plastics.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

A two-part shoe welting comprising upper and lower components, said components each comprising a relatively thick welt extension portion and a relatively thin inseam lip extending laterally from said welt extension, the upper component having a grain leather surface, the lip portion of the lower component being integral with and extending laterally from only the upper portion of the lower welt extension portion, said upper and lower portions superimposed upon and secured together to form a relatively thick Welt extension and a relatively thin inseam flange, and the upper grain surface of the welt downwardly curved from one marginal edge of the welt extension, and the marginal edges of the upper and lower inseam flanges terminating in the plane of the bottom surface of the welt extension.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

